Here Beside You
by Emma Carlton
Summary: Pre-OOTP. 5th year is beginning and Harry embarks on dangerous adventures and another very different kind of adventure...


                                     Chapter 1 

    This has been another day in the life of Harry Potter living in the house on 4 Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon was his usual self, mean angry, and ignorant to Harry, unless he did something wrong or that upset him. Aunt Petunia is no different than when he left for his previous year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she always spoils her son, Dudley, and like Uncle Vernon, she ignores Harry. Dudley hasn't changed either, still his "I'm taking advantage of when my Mum spoils me" behavior is going smoothly. Harry recently received mail via Owl Post from the Weasley's. Harry thought to himself, it must be Ron. He opened it and it read:

                                              **_Dear Harry,_**

**_                                                There is a new muggle-studies teacher!_**

**_                              Hermione has signed up again and saying _**

**_                             that it's a real muggle… D'you believe her? Well, I'm not sure._**

**_                            Anyways she signed up again after dumping it, remember?_**

**_                           She says, "We HAVE to GO!" I reckon, she's not  going to stop asking us. I    think you'd better sign up if I were you. I bet any second now you're going to get a letter from   Hermione . If you say 'NO' she'll probably send you a cursed envelope.—_**

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   Harry laughed out-loud heartily and forgot about bothering the Dursley's. Uncle Vernon bellowed, "KEEP IT DOWN, WHAT'S THAT FUNNY?"

"Er—nothings funny," replied Harry loudly, so that Uncle Vernon could hear it. Harry ended his sentence with a big grin on his face. Uncle Vernon came whizzing up the stairs so fast, it was like he was running the 100 m. dash. Vernon was trying to get to Harry before he put the piece of parchment away. Harry unluckily had a late reaction and in about a few seconds, he found Uncle Vernon standing in his room with his angry expression on his face. Harry immediately thought of the best excuse he could muster. "Erm—I was just thinking about what my friend said at Ho- my school!" Harry thought he did a good job, he smiled. "Yeah, well DON'T GO BOTHERING ME AGAIN!!" yelled Uncle Vernon, looking unpleased.

       Harry thought for a moment, "OK," said Harry. Oh, there's more, thought Harry and it continued:

                     _    **You have to come! It might be hard to sneak out from the muggle's.**_

**_    Of course I don't want to get you in trouble. They react excessively  over anything wrong, I saw. Anyways, I'll be sending you another owl in about  a day or so._**

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**_                                                                Keep in touch,_**

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**_P.S.,_****__**

    We're going to eat supper in about an hour, (my parents don't like answering owls during supper) so don't send anything yet! 

   Harry gave Errol, the Weasley's family owl, one of Hedwig's treats. Hedwig turned coldly at Errol, ready to charge. Hedwig didn't like much when another owl got one of her treats. She was scraping the cage to get out to charge at Errol, but couldn't. "Hedwig, calm down! It's okay!" said Harry. Harry finally felt better knowing that Errol went back to the Weasley's house, called 'the Burrow', because Hedwig didn't like Errol much either. Ron was right, no sooner or later did another owl replace Errol. Now it was Hermione's owl. "Hi there!" said Harry. The other owl nipped Harry's fingers kindly to show that she liked him. Harry gently grabbed the paper off of the owl's leg and read it:

                                   **_Dear Harry,_**

**_                                                        There's a new muggle-studies teacher!!! Rumors say that the teacher is a real muggle. Hard to believe, isn't it? Malfoy isn't going to like this at all though. The teacher sounds nice. But I'm serious Harry, the teacher is a muggle! I wonder how Dumbledore got the teacher through. Anyways I'm signing up again, I think I'm going to drop Care of Magical Creatures, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure if Hagrid is teaching this year anyways, so see you at Diagon Alley or else Hogwarts! _**

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**_                                                              Love from,_**

**_                                                                       Hermione_**

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**_P.S.,_****__**

**_   I'm going to meet Viktor at Diagon Alley, I think! _**

**_P.P.S.,_****__**

**_     I also heard that the muggle teacher knows about everything we do and did! I can't wait until Hogwarts! I'll be at Ron's for the remainder of the summer, send Ron and I some owls, OK? See you!_**             

                             Harry couldn't believe his eyes! A **_real_** muggle! Harry was also just as anticipated as Hermione was, he wanted to know what the teacher knew about them. Harry gave Hermione's owl a treat and off he went. There was one more owl at the window. Harry let the owl in. Harry took off the piece of parchment attached to the owl's leg and it read:

                                                 **_Dear Mr. Potter,_**

**_                                                                             Please note that the new school year will begin on September 3rd. The Hogwarts Express will depart from Kings Cross station, platform nine and three quarters, at eleven o' clock. Also note that you will have three extra days to complete your holiday due to the delay of the new muggle-studies teacher.  A list of books for this year are enclosed._**

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**_                                                                                 Yours Sincerely,_**

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                                                                           Deputy Headmistress 

                                                 Another birthday past, and Harry hasn't got anything but some nice presents from his friends and some cards. He got some Chocolate Frogs, t

In the next hour, Aunt Petunia brought Uncle Vernon and Dudley outside to see her flower that opened up in the night and they stayed outside for at least fifteen minutes. In that fifteen minutes, Harry went up, got his things together, told Hedwig to meet him at Ron's house, and then sneaked downstairs. He accidentally looked when he tripped over the chair at the ground near the fireplace and saw some of the leftover floo-powder that Mrs. Weasley dropped, he opened up the fireplace cage and then he started the fire. Harry gathered all of his things. Harry threw the floo-powder into the fireplace and said, "The Burrow!"  He felt as though he was going through a stretching torture, but then it felt good. BOOM! He landed in Ron's house. He heard voices. The Weasley family was eating outside. "Ron dear, will you please pass the peas?" said Mrs. Weasley kindly. "Huh, what?" said Ron. "Oh, never-mind, **_accio_**!" She pointed her wand at the peas. It came soaring over to her.

Harry heard a voice he was familiar with. "Oh Ron, I am worried about Harry, he has not responded!" squeaked Hermione. "Oh I worry about him too Arthur," said Mrs. Weasley. "Molly he's fine! He has escaped You-Know-Who what, about three or four times now!" said Mr. Weasley.

"He's an excellent seeker, you know," said Fred, one of the Weasley twins.

"Fred's right Dad, he is," said George, the other twin. "Oh but, Mrs. Weasley and I still worry about Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. 

            Harry had set his stuff down, walked outside and said, "Oh don't worry, I'm fine." Nearly the whole table jumped. "Harry how-''

"With left-over floo-powder." "Good Lord Harry! Nice to see you again, did I forget to get their house off, of the Floo Network? Oh my God I did!" said Mr. Weasley. "It was quite useful. Thank you!" said Harry, smiling delightfully. "You could've gotten hurt!" said Hermione, looking at Harry disapprovingly, but smiling. Just as Fred was about to say something Hedwig came soaring down from the sky. "WOW!" said Ginny, Ron's sister. "Yeah, I told Hedwig to meet me here," said Harry, he grinned at Ginny. That made Ginny so scarlet. She always had fancied Harry from the first time she saw him. "So clever," said Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley had kissed Harry on the cheek. "Welcome to—'' "The Burrow," said Harry. "Why is this house called 'the Burrow'?" asked Harry. "Well, our house is like a burrow of mice, but in this case, kids, with two parents. Just like mice have!" replied Percy stupidly. Everyone looked bewildered at that statement. "Hermione! So you let Rita Skeeter out at London?" Harry questioned quietly. "Yes, she actually looked quite pleased for some reason, I know I wouldn't," Hermione said sheepishly. Harry thought about the muggle-studies teacher. "Is the new teacher really a—'' "Muggle?" said Fred. "Yeah **_she_** is," replied George.     "**_She_**?" said Harry. "Finally they have another professor that is a woman!" Hermione squealed with joy. "I have to ask her all about muggle things!" said Mr. Weasley. "Oh, yes, but don't stress her dear, it will be the first day of her job when you see her!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "Yes well, Harry c'mon and sit down!" said Ron. "Yeah Harry," said everyone. "Hungry?" said Mrs. Weasley. "Oh yeah, matter of fact, starving," said Harry. "Are we going to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" asked George. Harry had helped himself to the grilled chicken breast. "Yeah, are we?" said Ginny.  "Well, I think we should get everyone ready, yes I'm sure of it," replied Mrs. Weasley. "Well Harry, has your scar been bothering you? Ron has been telling me a little," said Mr. Weasley, looking full of curiosity. Harry gave Ron a stern look. "No, not yet, but last year in Divination I fell asleep and I saw Voldemort—'' Everyone at the table flinched and then stared at Harry in disbelief. "Ah Harry you mean You-Know-Who," said Mr. Weasley. "Yeah, Voldemort" said Harry truthfully. They all flinched again. Ginny was still staring at Harry in disbelief. Ron had hit him in the elbow. "Harry say YOU-KNOW-WHO!" Ron muttered. "No, I say Voldemort, his real name," replied Harry. "Sorry, but I say his real name, Voldemort. This You-Know-Who stuff is to confusing," said Harry so everyone could hear. "Ah… ok Harry, we understand," said Mrs. Weasley in an unsteadily voice. "Well, I saw him and then he did the Cruciatus Curse on his servant then Professor Trelawney said, "You were clutching your scar, you were rolling on the floor clutching your scar!" "Of course it was burning so badly—'' Harry was now totally regretting he said anything. Ron and Hermione were staring at Harry in TOTAL disbelief that Harry said anything about his scar like that. Everyone at the table looked shocked to hear this news. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked like they were petrified. Ginny looked stunned, so did Fred and George. "Of course that was a year ago," said Harry, trying to shove of his worried look.

               Harry heard something inside his head, it sounded like someone old, but powerful, prevailing, and strong, it said, "Wormtail, come to see your punishment. You let Harry Potter slip from our fingers again." All of a sudden, Harry's scar burst with pain as if someone had just set a bomb off. It would not stop. "Nooo… master. Don't I didn't mean—'' "**_Imperio!_**" said the cold, harsh voice. Wormtail was yelling, so was Harry.  

           "Harry**_ Harry?_**" the whole Weasley family was standing around him including Hermione Granger. "Harry you—you fell off the chair and then starting yelling and then holding your scar just like you said to us," said Ron looking as petrified as his parents. Ron took Harry upstairs in his room and asked Harry what had happened. "I-I heard him- Voldemort talking to Wormtail, his servant. He-he said to his servant, you let Harry Potter slip from our fingers again. Then he-he did the Imperius Curse on Wormtail. An-And my scar-it-it…" whimpered Harry. "I'll get some chocolate. Stay here, won't you?" said Ron in a hurriedly voice. Harry was sweating so much it looked like he swam. Harry ate the chocolate, but it still did not make anything better, he still had that feeling where he felt like he was not safe. "I think we should all to bed now, chop-chop!" said Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was so worried about Harry that she asked Ron to look after him. Harry of course thought it was unnecessary for this ordeal.  Harry tried to calm the Weasley's down, but the more he tried, the less it worked. Harry finally said to them, "I'M OKAY ALREADY—'' Harry was so mad, he even frightened Ginny. "PLEASE STOP!!!" shouted Harry. And that had done it. They were all in bed and then Ron asked Harry in a whisper, "You should mail Sirius. He could tell you what to do!" "Yeah, I think so," replied Harry.  They all went to bed, but Harry didn't. Harry got up and then held out his wand and said,  "**_Lumos!_**" His wand lit up like a twig on fire. It gleamed through the house as he walked to get parchment and a quill. Harry saw something move. It was not Fred or George, Ginny, Ron or Percy. It stared at him. His scar had seared with pain. Was it a snake, Harry thought?       Questions soared all through his head like: Was it Lord Voldemort? Could he transform?  Harry talked to it, but that didn't help at all. Harry could speak parseltongue. Parseltongue is a gift given to few wizards. It means that wizard can talk to snakes. Parseltongue is considered a dark art in many ways, although Harry does not intend to use it like that. It just came toward him. Harry seized his wand and muttered, "**_Expelliarmus!_**" The wand came shooing out of the things hand and it dashed away. By that time Harry already had his parchment and a quill and wrote to Sirius:

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**_                                                                          Dear Sirius,_**

**_                                                                      I want to tell you that my scar hurt. _**

**_                                                         I heard voices in my head; I think it was Voldemort,_**

**_                                                        Peter was there too. Voldemort did the Imperius Curse on_**

**_                                                        Peter and then my scar hurt so badly. Please tell me why this_**

**_                                                        is happening. I think it's either because he is near or else he_**

**_                                                          is thinking about something so horrible that my scar hurts._**

**_                                                         You heard Dumbledore. I think he's right._**

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**_                                                                                              Sincerely,_**

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                 Harry wanted to write more.

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**_                                                           P.S.,_**

                                                             I saw something else too. It also made my scar hurt. 

                           Harry thought what he wrote in the 'P.S' section was stupid. Harry had to wake up Hedwig and then attached this to Hedwig and off she went. Harry was looking at the wand that he got from the 'intruder' last night, but he didn't dare to say anything the next morning about last night, because all Mrs. Weasley would do is worry.  Harry woke peacefully the next morning. He rushed to put on his clothes and hurried down to breakfast. "Good morning Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley and Ron. Mrs. Weasley still looked tense from last night. Harry had spotted Ginny coming down the stairs yawning. "Hi—(yawn)" said Ginny. "Hi Ginny." said Harry, feeling all goggled up. Ginny had a face that looked scarlet and a mix of tomatos because Ginny was stunned that Harry answered. "Hey—Harry, look" said Fred and George. "Wha-?" replied Harry yawning. Percy was sitting on the ground acting like a baby. "We just invented the 'Baby Boomers Memory pills'. We slipped one in his porridge this morning!" said George laughing silly. "You guys are in big trouble!" said Harry, laughing at the same time. "No, not exactly. They wear off in about-'' "An hour," interrupted Fred.  Harry thought that Fred and George would definitely make the end of his summer an enjoyable one.  Harry chortled into his morning porridge, but a beautiful voice interrupted his curt smirk… "Hiya, Harry!" called a young girl that Harry knew.  Harry's eyes flew from his porridge to the beautiful girl.     It was Hermione.   Someone must have given her a makeover because she looked **better** than she did at the Yule ball last year.  "Uh—Morning, 'Mione", Harry muttered looking straight into her deep brown eyes, "You really look smart this morning…"

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End file.
